Sylendor quickly backed down. "Very well, enough with fighting.. but you." He pointed at me. "Explain now."
Elandris added. "Yeah!..you did something crazy I think we can be friends after all!"
"Oh trust me, you won't regret that." Blaze said while smirking.
Elandor looked at me. "Sylendor is right, explain now."
"Calm down everyone.." I muttered. "Basically, I punch someone so hard it damages the body using the magic I gathered, then I force healing magic into the same point at the same time… so the mana flow inside my target's body gets disrupted and knocks them out..."
Elandor asked. "For how long?"
I answered whit an awkward glanze at the side of my eyes in some random object."Depends on how hard I hit them...probably"
Sylendor. "You're not even sure?!"
"Uh..that's actually the first time I used it to that extent...I gave your son a weaker version though"
"You could have killed me, you brat!"
"Hey! Stop calling me brat, it was healing magic alright.. besides.. you stand there like an idiot and decided to take it head on..not my fault.
"…he told me not to move."
Elandris Added."You agreed to that."
"He volunteered to get folded." Blaze followed with a laugh.
"To be fair, I warned you!" I said.
Elandor muttered. "That's right my friend, he landed it fair and square...you should accept it"
Caethel suddenly spoke. "So, if you can use healing magic at that extent.. surely you are a healer..right?...but when you faced me yesterda, you have the agility of B rank..no maybe, entry level A rank assassin..but you are also using a sword.."
"Actually... that's a bit complicated." I answered.
"He doesn't have a class," Elandor cut in casually, like he was talking about the weather. "And he's currently around mid-tier A-rank. I merely gauged his level. He's also under a limiter for better control."
Silence.
Then–
"…mid-tier?" Sylendor repeated, brows pulling together. "No wonder he moves like that… but no rank?" He looked straight at me now. "You're joking, right?"
"No," Erendil said calmly before I could respond. His eyes stayed on me, sharp and focused. "If it's coming from Elandor… then it's true. He doesn't joke."
"Exactly," I muttered. "That's what his personality is missing." Elandor didn't even react.
Elandris let out a low whistle. "No class, mid A-rank, weird healing magic… yeah, you're not normal."
"I've been told that," I said.
Erendil stepped forward. Slow. Measured. "Interesting," he said, rolling his shoulders once. Then he lowered his lance slightly, pointing it toward me. "I'll go next."
I exhaled. "Of course you will."
Behind him, Elandris suddenly called out, grinning. "Hey—treat this like a real battlefield, alright? He knows you can heal your self!"
I frowned. "Why does that sound like a threat?"
"Because it is," Elandor answered immediately.
"…great."
Erendil didn't wait. He moved. No buildup. No wasted motion. Just a blur.
*THRUST–!*
I barely saw it coming. My body reacted before my brain did, twisting to the side as the lance shot past my shoulder, the tip grazing my clothes.
He's Fast! Too fast!!!
*STAB–STAB–STAB!*
Three more strikes followed instantly, each one aimed at a different point–neck, ribs, thigh. I jumped back, barely slipping past them, my breathing already tightening. "…what the–"
He didn't stop.
He stepped in again, footwork clean, controlled, his lance snapping forward with terrifying precision.
No wasted swings. No heavy wind-up. Just pure speed.
I ducked one thrust, pivoted around another–but the third one–
*CLANG!*
I was forced to block. The impact wasn't as heavy as Sylendor's. But it didn't need to be. It was sharp and focused. My arms stung instantly.
"Tch–!"
I pushed off and created distance. He didn't chase wildly. He followed. Calculated. Like he knew exactly how far I could move. Another thrust came.
Faster. I twisted—but this time, the tip grazed my side.
"…!" A thin line opened across my ribs. Not deep. But clean. Deliberate.
Erendil's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're slower now," he said calmly.
I clicked my tongue. "Yeah, I noticed."
From the side, Sylendor crossed his arms. "Different style."
Erendil nodded once. "Axemen and swordsmen rely on strength and weight." He flicked his lance slightly, resetting his stance. "We don't." Before I could respond, He vanished forward again. "–we rely on speed."
*THRUST–!*
This time, I barely managed to move. The tip stopped just inches from my throat. My breath caught. I froze.
Silence.
Erendil held the position for half a second… then slowly pulled the lance back. "…you're having a hard time adjusting," he said.
I exhaled slowly, shoulders rising and falling.
"Yeah," I admitted. "You're faster than him."
From the side, Sylendor scoffed. "Don't get used to it."
I rolled my neck once, grip tightening around my sword. "…guess I don't have a choice."
Green light flickered faintly along my arm to heal my self. Erendil noticed. His stance shifted again.
Slightly lower. More serious.
"Good, it means you are not giving up" he said.
"Hey! you guys are no fun..Let me fight him next!" Elandris added. In which Erendil quickly agrees.
"Very well, have fun..." He said while waving his hand walking on the sides. Elandris quickly jumped in front of me.
"Let's have fun Lucien!.. I'm also a top tier A rank swordsman same as captain Caeleth..so do your best!" He said cheerfully.
Well, he said last night this is the first time he'll train with someone almost his age. I tightened my grip on my sword and smirked a little. "Yeah, let's do our best!"
Before either of us moved—
"Lucien," Caeleth spoke from the side, voice calm but firm. "He's the same rank as me. And as you can see… you're almost the same age..And he is still developing."
I blinked. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
Elandor answered without even looking at me. "He means rank isn't permanent. With enough training, it improves. But everyone has a ceiling–a limit where progression slows or stops."
"…makes sense," I muttered. I barely finished that sentence–
–and Elandris was already in front of me.
"–!"
*CLANG!*
I barely raised my sword in time, the impact ringing through my arms. "Hey! That's not fair!" I snapped, sliding back half a step.
Elandris grinned. "But I told you to treat this like a battlefield, didn't I?"
"…yeah, yeah," I muttered, resetting my stance.
From behind, Elandor added casually, "Remember what I told you back at Valerión."
"…don't expect your enemy to do nothing," I finished, clicking my tongue.
"Good."
Elandris didn't give me time to breathe, he came again. Fast. Not as sharp as Erendil–but smoother. Flowing.
*CLANG! CLANG!*
I blocked the first strike, twisted away from the second–
"Hey–that's cheating!"
"No it's not!" Elandris answered.
"He's right," Elandor added. "There's no cheating in a battlefield. Everything is fair."
"…you guys are the worst teachers," I muttered.
But I focused. Because something felt off. Elandris moved again, and this time, I saw it. The way he stepped in. The angle of his blade. The rhythm.
"…this is–" Too familiar. He moved exactly like Caeleth when I faced him. Same structure. Same discipline. But a bit faster and cleaner.
"–!" Before I could react–
*THUD!*
A kick slammed straight into my gut. I didn't even see it.
"–gah!" The air left my lungs instantly as my body lifted off the ground.
*WHOOSH–!*
I flew backward, and something caught me. A hand.
Firm. Steady. I blinked. It's Elandor. "…what?" I muttered. He looked down at me for a second, with a serious expression… then let go. I dropped back onto my feet, stumbling slightly. "…what just happened," I whispered. My breathing was off. Not just from the hit. Something else. My body felt… heavier. Slower. "…fatigue?" I muttered under my breath. My eyes narrowed slightly. Healing Impact. I pushed it a little too far earlier. "…damn it."
Elandris rolled his shoulder, still smiling. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I exhaled, tightening my grip again. "Just getting started."
This time, I moved first.
*Step.*
*Pivot.*
*Feint.*
I closed the distance, blade flashing forward–
*CLANG!*
Blocked. But I didn't stop. Second strike–high. Third–low. Fourth–a fake. I shifted mid-motion, changing angle completely– Elandris' eyes flickered. Got you.
I stepped in deeper, twisting my body, bringing the blade across, for a split second– I had him.
"…!" And then–
Everything went black. No warning. No impact. Just nothing.
"…hey."
"…kid."
"…Lucien."
My eyes snapped open. Blurred vision. Shapes. Voices. "…what…"
Something soft pressed against my chest. Blaze. "Oi, finally," he said, crouched on top of me. "You just dropped."
"…I did?" I blinked again. Everyone was around me. Elandris, Caeleth, Erendil… even Sylendor.
And Elandor. Looking down at me. "Hey kid," he said, tone calmer than usual. "Are you alright?"
"…yeah," I muttered, sitting up slowly. My head spun slightly.
Elandor crossed his arms. "I think the attack you used earlier on Sylendor used a large amount of your mana."
"…figures," I muttered.
"Your current capacity isn't that vast," he continued. "Especially with the limiter still in place."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "…so I knocked myself out."
"Precisely," Elandor said.
"…great."
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "You will have to fix that. Otherwise, techniques like that will kill you before your enemies do."
I exhaled slowly, staring at my hand. The faint trace of green mana flickered… then faded. "…yeah," I said quietly. "I figured."
Blaze snorted. "You really tried to speedrun passing out."
"Shut up."
From the side, Elandris scratched his cheek, grinning a bit awkwardly. "You almost had me though."
I looked up at him. "…almost doesn't count."
"Still," he said, raising his sword slightly. "That was fun."
I smirked faintly. "…yeah." But inside, I knew. This wasn't just about getting stronger anymore. It was about control. "I think I'm out.."
Sylendor followed. "hah! That means our win today!"
End of chapter.